Stuck
by Goddess Usagi
Summary: Challenge 1/7 - Clary finds herself stuck in a closet in the Institute, without her stele. J/C


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**Stuck

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"Hello?"

...

"Seriously. This isn't funny. Hello? Come on, someone has to be there! This is ridiculous!"

.....

"Guys? Anyone? … Isabelle? Alec? …Max? One of you must be home!"

....

Clary heard a soft snicker outside the locked cupboard door, and renewed her attack upon the handle, jiggling it back and forth in the hope she would be able to escape the dark, dank room.

"Not funny! I can hear you out there! Jace? … It better not be you, or I swear to goodness…!"

More snickering.

Brilliant. So it was him.

"I know you're there, so just… let me out of here. I mean, how hard is it to unlock a door? Honestly." She huffed and leaned against the door, nearly squeaking when she felt what must be the handle being turned from the outside.

"Apparently unlocking doors is harder than it looks," came Jace's slow, cocky drawl. Clary wanted to hit him for it. She would have, had she not been locked in a cupboard at the Institute. Here she was, locked in a tiny cupboard, and he was mocking her? Mocking her! It was completely unnecessary and plain rude.

She frowned, "Jace. Seriously. This isn't the time for your stupid self-centred attitude. I've been stuck in this airless, funny smelling room for far too long. I don't need you telling me something I already know. Just let me out, okay?"

Jace could hear her impatient sigh and smirked. "What? No stele to let yourself out?"

"No Jace, no stele to let myself out," Clary repeated mockingly, her frustration clearly evident from his side of the wooden door. "You don't think I already thought of that? Goodness, you mustn't think much of my intelligence. But oh wait, that sort of thing in genetic, and since you would hardly insult your precious self in that manner… let me out!"

Jace grinned at the locked door, "I must be rubbing off on you," he said as he pulled out his stele and traced a quick opening rune into the lacquered wood, the glowing light leaving a flowing black Mark behind.

Clary heard a soft click, and sighed in relief as the door swung open, the soft light of the hallway causing her eyesight to blur. For a moment, her brother looked like he wore a halo of golden light, and she could almost see the white wings she often dreamed him as having. Jace simply got more angelic every time she saw him, which was hardly fair.

It seemed like the cruelest twist of fate. To have her fall in love with this incredible boy, only to find out later that he was her brother. Which law was she supposed to obey? That of family, or that of love? Could she even think to obey the Law of Family, when that of Love had come first? What sort of a twisted god would arrange this, so perfectly?

The whole situation, she thought, must seem terribly amusing to such a higher power, for this to occur.

Either that, or she had pissed someone off royally in the past.

Clary preferred to hope it was the latter, since that at least brought with it the possibility of redemption. Though how this tormenting situation could be redeemed, she had no idea. He was her brother, she was his sister, and that was that. No choice.

"Hey, you okay down there?" Jace laughed good-naturedly, shocking her out of her thoughts, "You look … pensive."

"Do you even know what that word means?" Clary snapped, brushing past him in a momentary fit of anger. "Ugh. Never mind. You couldn't have let me out a little sooner, instead of taunting me? It didn't occur to you that I still need to pack if we're going to Idris in a few days?"

She watched as he froze, his briefly open and happy golden eyes turning black and cold in an instant. He didn't want her to go with the Lightwoods to Alicante, she knew that. She knew he was worried about her safety. But she needed to go. It was the only way she could save her mother – their mother – to wake Jocelyn from the self-induced coma. He just didn't seem to understand how important it was to her.

"Please."

Clary blinked, and stared up at his vulnerable face. Shock. He was never so open.

Or perhaps she was learning to read him better.

Either way, he seemed so… desperate. That one word tinged with so much emotion. Longing, desire, yes they were both there, even though he had promised to treat her like a brother, like he thought she wanted. Not knowing that all she wanted now was to screw the rules and damn them both to hell. But also present were fear and pain.

Clary shook her head, bright red hair forming a temporary curtain between them, answering no to his unasked question. "No, Jace. I won't say here. I have to wake my mother up, and the only way I can do that is by going to Idris. You can't stop me."

His eyes flashed at the suggestion, "Is that a challenge?" Jace asked bitterly, turning his perfectly sculpted face away from hers.

She straightened her posture and lifted her chin, staring at him with as much self-control as she could muster. "You know what? Yes, yes it is."

And with that, she turned and walked away.

Or at least, tried to.

A strong arm shot out and grabbed her shoulder, holding her immobile for a short second before spinning her to face its owner. As always, even the briefest contact made her stomach jump and her breath catch, made worse by the intense look in his eyes.

"I can't have anything happen to you," Jace stated, the hand sliding up her shoulder and onto her neck, tangling in her hair and pulling her closer. "Can't you see? Can't you tell what it would do to the world if something happened? Because its all about you now, Clary. And I refuse to let the whole world, my whole world, be destroyed because you don't have the slightest instinct of self-preservation in you!"

She simply stared at him, too distracted by the strong hand on her neck and by his close presence, the ball of emotion welling up inside her.

"No," she whispered when neither of them moved and the repressed feelings grew closer to the surface, "No. You said you didn't want this, you said you wanted to be my brother."

Her accusing voice was like a slap, and he began to draw away, seeing fire in her eyes that matched her hair. She took a step forward and was half surprised to see him shy instinctively back. Clary had never seen Jace flinch from anything, his instinct usually to hold his ground, rather than to flee.

She took full advantage of her rare upper hand, and took another step forward, forcing him against the wall. She was tiny, only just over 5 feet in height, and yet she had Jace, _Jace_, backed against a wall.

"So? What's it going to be Jace? You have two options, the way I see it. If you want to be my brother, you stop now, you let me come with you. You acknowledge that I'm just as powerful as you, just as capable as you. Or, you can choose not to be my brother, not to act that way, to try and stop me from coming in another way. I can't promise the second way will work, but it's up to you Jace. I refuse to keep bringing this issue up. Because here's the thing, I would really prefer it if you went for the second option. When we were at Taki's yesterday, you forgot one thing. I had wanted, past tense, to be your sister. Past tense."

"Take of it what you will."

He stood there, backed against the wall of the hallway of the Institute, knowing fully well that it was empty for the day, and considered his options. He knew she was being illogical, that her ultimatums made no sense. But he couldn't bring himself to care. He really _didn't_ want to be her brother.

So he leaned forward, wrapped his strong arms tightly around her delicate body, in an embrace almost tight enough to crush, and brought his lips firmly and ardently to hers. To hell with the consequences, she was _his._

Clary sighed happily, then moaned as he nipped her bottom lip, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss.

It was wrong, but oh, so right.

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_**HI!!!!**_

_**So, guess what? I'm alive! And I didn't mean to, but I'm sorry if I'm taunting you by uploading Mortal Instruments fanfic instead of Sailor Moon. I promise that SM fanfic will be back tomorrow!**_

_**This is my first entry in the week of OHC's (thats One Hour Challenges, check them out over at Destinys Gateway). I have to upload one story, for ANY fandom, per day. I'm about 2 weeks late starting, but I really wanted to do this and I've been working my little tushy off (stupid retail!). So I hope you enjoy :) **_

_**Possession, should, I hope, have a new chapter up within the fortnight.**_

_**xx Usa  
**_


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